One of my main gripes about living in Turkey is the lack of alternative cuisine. Admittedly, we are luckier than most being in Istanbul. At least Istanbul makes an attempt. One can get decent sushi and pretty good Chinese food here. There is an amazing, but unsung, Thai restaurant hidden in [...]

Our family has a long history of pets. We are serious animal lovers. We have had the privilege of having our lives touched and enriched by so many critters over the years. However, I think that everyone in my family would agree that no animal has given us more joy, has made our [...]

Every culture has dishes that are for the more adventurous at heart. And an outsider may become queasy at the thought of eating something that the locals gobble up. My first step-father, whom I usually refer to as “Middle Dad”, was of German decent and he enjoyed the occasional jar of pickled pig’s [...]